Living in Alexandria vs Bethesda

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Silver Sptimg would be closer to work and you could get more house for your money than Bethesda.

How are schools in silver spring?

Similar to Alexandria.

[Anonymous]

I think having 1 parent close to home when you have kids is super important...in case of illness, snow release, being able to be home after school, get there for a in school event during the day. There is nothing so different about any DC suburb that overrides that. I would look at both Bethesda and SS and see what is available and what works for you.

I work in DC and DH works in Rockville. We live in Rockville. I was living in VA when we got married but there was just no question where we would buy. I enjoyed being in Alexandria but really enjoy Rockville too.

[Anonymous]

Bethesda is great but Alexandria has a lot more character. It’s also much smaller, and has more of a community feel, if that’s your thing. Taxes are lower in VA, but schools are typically better in Bethesda.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Silver Sptimg would be closer to work and you could get more house for your money than Bethesda.

How are schools in silver spring?

Similar to Alexandria.

+1

If you were fine with schools in Alexandria, you'll be fine with the schools in Silver Spring.

[Anonymous]

Bethesda is a sh.it.hole compared with the City of Alexandria. It's like asking if Anacostia is nicer that the Palisades.

[Anonymous]

Op isn't asking to compare "The City" of Alexandria. Op, is further out near Mount Vernon (FCPS schools)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think having 1 parent close to home when you have kids is super important...in case of illness, snow release, being able to be home after school, get there for a in school event during the day. There is nothing so different about any DC suburb that overrides that. I would look at both Bethesda and SS and see what is available and what works for you.

I work in DC and DH works in Rockville. We live in Rockville. I was living in VA when we got married but there was just no question where we would buy. I enjoyed being in Alexandria but really enjoy Rockville too.

+1 for this. If you both think you will be at your jobs for the next 4-5 years then I would move just for this. It makes a big difference to be able to get from work to your kid's school in less than 15-20 minutes during the day.

[Anonymous]

I think Bethesda is a great fit for what you need. Close to both areas of work with great schools. Schools in SS are not as good as those in Bethesda.

[Anonymous]

Go with Bethesda. It’s much nicer overall. Alexandria is just gross.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda is a sh.it.hole compared with the City of Alexandria. It's like asking if Anacostia is nicer that the Palisades.

This! No comparison.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda is a much more desirable location than Alexandria. It is safer, has better housing stock, is well connected, and has great access to the outdoors when compared to both the City and FFx-Alx. It will also be more expensive but if you can make it work will definitely be the right move. Schools are all excellent in Bethesda so you will have peace of mind that your next home can be your forever home.

It just is not a contest. Welcome to the community

Highly disagree with this. I don’t live in either community, but Alexandria is not lacking in housing stock at all. There’s plenty of gorgeous homes there, especially closer to the waterfront. Bethesda doesn’t have anything like it at all. Downtown Bethesda is awesome, but it doesn’t have the same charm Alexandria does, which feels like a larger and more cosmopolitan version of Annapolis, MD. The only category Bethesda has the edge over Alexandria in is schools and commute into DC.

How do their commutes compare? They seem to be pretty comparable when comparing Bethesda to the City of Alexandria going downtown

[Anonymous]

My only comment is that in Maryland, I feel trapped in terms of driving options. That part of the beltway is a constant headache -- sometimes at its worst on the weekends. In Alexandria, I have Rte 1 and 95 going south, beltway right there to head east west, etc. 395 to head into DC. I could not imagine living in Maryland suburbs for this reason alone.

[Anonymous]

Depends on your budget and you can't go wrong with either.

The schools are better in Bethesda, but it's not like Alexandria has terrible ones. Alexandria has some great elementary schools, and if your kid is at all motivated and/or you pay attention to their progress they'll do well in the middle and HS. And the schools will likely get better and better the more Amazon and Virginia Tech moves in. Their rankings are lower on Great Schools thanks to how they skew against schools with low income and non-native English speaking students.
Also in-state college options in VA > MD.

In terms of feel, Bethesda is more refined and stately though perhaps stuffy while Alexandria has a more relaxed feeling with better diversity in terms of housing stock and people and things to do.

Bethesda/CCMD is the safest part of the close-in metro. Alexandria is also very safe.

Your dollar tends to go much further in Alexandria and the income tax savings could allow a bigger mortgage / fund your kid to go to private school if need be.

SS is great and kind of a blend between Bethesda and Alexandria, wide array of housing stock and very diverse and Sligo creek is nice. But parts of SS are much less safe and schools are more hit (Woodlin, Blair etc) or miss (Northwood).

In the right neighborhood+house all are great options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Depends on your budget and you can't go wrong with either.

The schools are better in Bethesda, but it's not like Alexandria has terrible ones. Alexandria has some great elementary schools, and if your kid is at all motivated and/or you pay attention to their progress they'll do well in the middle and HS. And the schools will likely get better and better the more Amazon and Virginia Tech moves in. Their rankings are lower on Great Schools thanks to how they skew against schools with low income and non-native English speaking students.
Also in-state college options in VA > MD.

In terms of feel, Bethesda is more refined and stately though perhaps stuffy while Alexandria has a more relaxed feeling with better diversity in terms of housing stock and people and things to do.

Bethesda/CCMD is the safest part of the close-in metro. Alexandria is also very safe.

Your dollar tends to go much further in Alexandria and the income tax savings could allow a bigger mortgage / fund your kid to go to private school if need be.

SS is great and kind of a blend between Bethesda and Alexandria, wide array of housing stock and very diverse and Sligo creek is nice. But parts of SS are much less safe and schools are more hit (Woodlin, Blair etc) or miss (Northwood).

In the right neighborhood+house all are great options.

PP you sound way to reasonable to be on this website.

[Anonymous]

Alexandria has gotten very expensive. Prices are probably similar now with HQ2 coming. Bethesda is very nice but that area hasn't seen as much growth as NOVA. You'll have access to downtown from both locations. I'd guess in 5-10 years Alx is more expensive